Emma Raducanu news: New Nike advert released ahead of Australian Open

Kevin Palmer
January 14, 2022

Emma Raducanu has become one of the biggest names in tennis courtesy of her remarkable US Open win last year – and now she has been given the A-list treatment by her sponsors Nike.

Only a handful of athletes have been given Nike adverts in recent years, with Tiger Woods and Serena Williams among those who have been promoted by the sportswear giant.

Now 19-year-old Raducanu has been propelled into the spotlight, as she prepares to play in the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Some of the accusations thrown her way since her breakthrough win in New York feature in the advert, as the hype continues to build around Raducanu.

https://twitter.com/IMGTennis/status/1481748131482337284?s=20

Now the pressure is on Raducanu to perform at the Australian Open, with former top ten player Barbara Schett telling Tennis365 in an exclusive interview that the British starlet may struggle in 2022.

“We all knew this was going to be a very difficult year for her,” Schett told Tennis365, as she prepares to work for Eurosport at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

“Then she plays her first match and she plays against someone who reached the final in Adelaide the week before and someone who hits the ball incredibly hard. Then she gets beaten in less than an hour. It was a surprise to me that it was 6-0, 6-1, but it wasn’t a surprise to me that she lost.

“Emma still needs to get used to the whole situation. Her life has changed completely and I have no doubt that she will have success in the future, but this is a year that she has to get used to being a Grand Slam champion and people looking at her, expecting a lot of her. It is all a matter of experience and learning.

“You have to give her a bit of time to settle down and I don’t think she is going to do major damage at the Australian Open,” she added. “With Emma, all of this was a susprise overnight (to win the US Open).

“She booked tickets to play qualies at the US Open and all of a sudden, she takes the trophy home. That is hard to digest.

“If you speak to people who have won Grand Slam titles, they say their life was never the same. The expectations coming from the outside change when you win and coming from Great Britain, there is even more pressure and you are in the newspapers every day.

“She needs time to develop as a person and a player. It is up there in the mind, that is the toughest part, but I have no doubt she will go on and do well in the future.”

Raducanu has been handed a tough draw at next week’s Australian Open, as she will take on 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.

The Australian Open will be live on discovery+ and Eurosport from January 17th.

Emma Raducanu